January 20
In astrology, it is the cusp day between Capricorn and Aquarius. Events * 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Pope Fabian is martyred. Afterwards the Donatist controversy over readmitting lapsed Christians disaffects many in North Africa. *1156 - According to legend, freeholder Lalli slays English crusader Bishop Henry with an axe on the ice of the lake Köyliönjärvi in Finland. *1265 - In Westminster, the first English parliament conducts its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now also known as the "Houses of Parliament". *1320 - Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes king of Poland. *1356 - Edward Balliol resigns as King of Scotland. *1502 - The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro first explored. *1523 - Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway. *1576 - The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almansa. *1649 - Charles I of England goes on trial for treason and other "high crimes" *1667 - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth cedes Kiev, Smolensk, and left-bank Ukraine to Imperial Russia in the treaty of Andrusovo. *1783 - The Kingdom of Great Britain signs a peace treaty with France and Spain, officially ending hostilities in the Revolutionary War. *1788 - Third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides Botany Bay is unsuitable for location of a penal colony, and decides to move to Port Jackson. *1801 - John Mall is appointed the Chief Justice of the United States. *1839 - In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats a Peruvian and Bolivian alliance. *1840 - Dumont D'Urville discovers Adélie Land, Antarctica. * 1840 - Willem II becomes King of the Netherlands. *1841 - Hong Kong Island occupied by the British. *1885 - L.A. Thompson patents the roller coaster. *1887 - The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base. *1892 - At the YMCA in Springfield, the first official basketball game is played. *1920 - American Civil Liberties Union founded. *1921 - The first Constitution of Turkey was adopted, which made fundamental changes in the source and exercise of sovereignty by consecrating the principle of national sovereignty. *1929 - In Old Arizona, the first full-length talking film filmed outdoors, is released. *1936 - Edward VIII becomes King of the United Kingdom. *1937 - Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated for a second term as President of the United States. This is the first inauguration scheduled on January 20, following adoption of the 20th Amendment. Previous inaugurations were scheduled on March 4. *1942 - World War II: Nazis at the Wannsee conference in Berlin decide the "final solution to the Jewish problem". *1944 - World War II: The Royal Air Force drops 2,300 tons of bombs on Berlin. *1945 - Hungary drops out of the Second World War, agreeing an armistice with the Allies. *1954 - The National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations. *1960 - Hendrik Verwoerd announced a plebiscite on whether South Africa should become a Republic. *1968 - Game of the Century, influential in college sports broadcasting. *1969 - The first pulsar is discovered, in the Crab Nebula. *1981 - Iran releases 52 American hostages twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as U.S. President. *1986 - Martin Luther King, day was celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time. * 1986 - The United Kingdom and France announce plans to construct the Channel Tunnel. *1987 - Church of England envoy Terry Waite is kidnapped. *1990 - Black January - bloody crackdown of Azerbaijani peaceful pro-independence demonstrations by Soviet army in Baku. *1991 - Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south. *1999 - The China News Service announces new government restrictions on Internet use aimed especially at Internet cafés. * 2001 - Philippine president Joseph Estrada is ousted in the EDSA II Revolution, succeeded by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Births * 225 - Gordian III, Roman Emperor (d. 244) *1292 - Elisabeth I of Bohemia (d. 1330) *1358 - Eleanor of Aragon, wife of John I of Castile (d. 1382) *1435 - Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Japanese shogun (d. 1490) *1554 - King Sebastian of Portugal (d. 1578) *1586 - Johann Schein, German composer (d. 1630) *1664 - Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian writer and jurist (d. 1718) *1716 - King Charles III of Spain (d. 1788) * 1716 - Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French writer and numismatist (d. 1795) *1775 - André-Marie Ampère, French physicist (d. 1836) *1781 - Joseph Hormayr Freiherr zu Hortenburg, Austrian politician (d. 1848) *1783 - Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer, German cellist and composer (d. 1860) *1798 - Anson Jones, 5th and last President of Texas (d. 1858) *1804 - Eugène Sue, French novelist (d. 1857) *1812 - Thomas Meik, Scottish engineer (d. 1896) *1837 - David Josiah Brewer, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1910) *1855 - Ernest Chausson, French composer (d. 1899) *1867 - Yvette Guilbert, French singer and actress (d. 1944) *1873 - Johannes Vilhelm Jensen, Danish Nobel laureate (d. 1950) *1876 - Józef Hofmann, Polish pianist (d. 1967) *1878 - Finlay Currie, British actor (d. 1968) * 1878 - Ruth St. Denis, dancer (d. 1968) *1880 - Walter W. Bacon, Governor of Delaware (d. 1962) *1891 - Mischa Elman, Ukrainian born violinist (d. 1967) *1893 - Georg Åberg, Swedish athlete (d. 1946) *1894 - Walter Piston, American composer (d. 1976) *1896 - George Burns, American actor, comedian (d. 1996) * 1896 - Isabel Withers, American actress (d. 1968) *1898 - U Razak, Burmese politician (d. 1947) *1900 - Colin Clive, British actor (d. 1937) *1902 - Leon Ames, American actor (d. 1993) *1907 - Paula Wessely, Austrian actress (d. 2000) *1910 - Joy Adamson, Austrian naturalist and writer (d. 1980) *1915 - Ghulam Ishaq Khan, President of Pakistan (d. 2006) *1918 - Juan García Esquivel, Mexican bandleader (d. 2002) *1920 - Federico Fellini, Italian film director (d. 1993) * 1920 - DeForest Kelley, American actor (d. 1999) * 1920 - Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian author and ski jumper (d. 2006) *1922 - Ray Anthony, American trumpeter, bandleader, songwriter and actor *1923 - Nora Brockstedt, Norwegian singer *1924 - Slim Whitman, American singer *1925 - Ernesto Cardenal, Nicaraguan theologian and author and politician *1926 - Jamiluddin Aali, Pakistani poet, essayist and columnist * 1926 - Qurratulain Hyder, Indian novelist (d. 2007) * 1926 - Patricia Neal, American actress * 1926 - David Tudor, American pianist and composer (d. 1996) *1929 - Jimmy Cobb, American jazz drummer * 1929 - Bob Denard, French mercenary * 1929 - Arte Johnson, American actor * 1929 - Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, American race car driver (d. 1964) *1930 - Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., astronaut *1931 - David Lee, American physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate *1932 - Lou Fontinato, Canadian ice hockey player *1934 - Tom Baker, British actor *1937 - Dorothy Provine, American singer, dancer and actress *1938 - William Berger, Austrian actor (d. 1993) * 1938 - Derek Dougan, Northern Irish footballer *1939 - Paul Coverdell, American politician (d. 2000) *1940 - Carol Heiss, American figure skater * 1940 - Krishnam Raju, Indian actor and politician *1941 - Pierre Lalonde, Quebec singer and television host * 1941 - Ron Townson, American singer (The Fifth Dimension) (d. 2001) *1943 - Farhad Mehrad, Iranian musician *1944 - José Luis Garci, Spanish filmmaker *1945 - Robert Olen Butler, American writer * 1945 - Christopher Martin-Jenkins, cricket commentator and correspondent * 1945 - Eric Stewart, English musician and songwriter (10cc) *1946 - David Lynch, American film director *1947 - Cyrille Guimard, French cyclist and directeur sportif *1948 - Natan Sharansky, Russian-born physicist and politician *1949 - Göran Persson, Prime Minister of Sweden *1950 - Liza Goddard, British actress * 1950 - Edward Hirsch. American poet * 1950 - Chuck Lefley, Canadian ice hockey player * 1950 - Mahamane Ousmane, President of Niger *1951 - Ivan Fischer, Hungarian conductor * 1951 - Ian Hill, British musician (Judas Priest) *1952 - Paul Stanley, American musician (Kiss) *1955 - Wyatt Knight, American actor * 1955 - Joe Doherty, Provisional Irish Republican Army member *1956 - Maria Larsson, Swedish politician * 1956 - Bill Maher, American actor, comedian, and political analyst *1958 - Lorenzo Lamas, American actor *1960 - Scott Thunes, American musician (Frank Zappa) * 1960 - Will Wright, American computer game designer *1965 - Greg Kriesel, American bassist (The Offspring) * 1965 - Sophie, the wife of Prince Edward * 1965 - John Michael Montgomery, American singer * 1965 - Anton Weissenbacher, Romanian footballer *1966 - Tracii Guns, American guitarist *1968 - Melissa Rivers, American reporter and actress * 1968 - Rainn Wilson, American actor *1969 - Patrick K. Kroupa, American computer hacker * 1969 - Nicky Wire, British Musician (Manic Street Preachers) *1970 - Mitch Benn, UK comedian, songwriter, actor * 1970 - Kerri Kenney-Silver, American actress * 1970 - Skeet Ulrich, American actor *1971 - Derrick Green, American singer (Sepultura) * 1971 - Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, American drummer (The Roots) * 1971 - Brian Giles, American baseball player *1973 - Princess Mathilde *1975 - David Eckstein, American baseball player * 1975 - Norberto Fontana, Argentine racing driver *1976 - Gretha Smit, Dutch speed skater *1978 - Joy Giovanni, American actress and glamour model * 1978 - Sonja Kesselschläger, German heptathlete *1979 - Rob Bourdon, American musician (Linkin Park) * 1979 - Asaka Kubo, Japanese gravure idol of 20th Century * 1979 - Will Young, British singer *1980 - Matthew Tuck, Welsh guitarist (Bullet for My Valentine) *1980 - Philippe Cousteau Jr. Oceanographer/Environmentalist, grandson of Jacques Cousteau *1981 - Owen Hargreaves, English international footballer *1981 - Jason Richardson, American basketball player (Golden State Warriors) * 1981 - Crystal Lowe, Canadian actress *1984 - Toni Gonzaga, Filipino TV host and actress * 2002 - Prince Tassilo of Bulgaria Deaths *1156 - Bishop Henry, patron saint of Finland *1191 - Frederick VI (b. 1167) *1479 - King John II of Aragon (b. 1397) *1568 - Myles Coverdale, English Bible translator *1612 - Rudolf II (b. 1552) *1666 - Anna of Austria, wife of Louis XIII of France and regent (b. 1601) *1707 - Humphrey Hody, English theologian (b. 1659) *1709 - François de la Chaise, French confessor of Louis XIV of France (b. 1624) *1739 - Francesco Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect/designer (b. 1659) *1751 - John Hervey, English politician (b. 1665) *1770 - Charles Yorke, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1722) *1779 - David Garrick, English actor (b. 1717) *1810 - Benjamin Chew, Chief Justice of colonial Pennsylvania (b. 1722) *1819 - King Charles IV of Spain (b. 1748) *1848 - Christian VIII of Denmark (b. 1786) *1850 - Adam Oehlenschläger, Danish poet (b. 1779) *1873 - The Venerable Father Basil Anthony Marie Moreau, Founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross (b. 1799) *1875 - Jean-François Millet, French painter (b. 1814) *1891 - David Kalakaua, King of Hawaii (b. 1836) *1900 - John Ruskin, art critic (b. 1819) *1901 - Zénobe Gramme, Belgian engineer (b. 1826) *1920 - Georg Lurich, Estonian wrestler (b. 1876) *1936 - King George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1865) *1940 - Omar Bundy, U.S. army general (b. 1861) *1944 - James McKeen Cattell, American psychologist (b. 1860) *1947 - Josh Gibson, African-American baseball player (b. 1911) *1954 - Fred Root, English cricketer (b. 1890) *1962 - Robinson Jeffers, American poet (b. 1887) *1965 - Alan Freed, American disk jockey (b. 1922) *1971 - Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson, American actor, director, writer, and producer (b. 1880) *1973 - Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician (b. 1885) *1979 - Gustav Winckler, Danish singer (b. 1925) *1983 - Garrincha, Brazilian footballer (b. 1933) *1984 - Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer and actor (b. 1904) *1988 - Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Pashtun Nationalist & non-violent freedom fighter (b. 1890) * 1988 - Dora Stratou, Greek choreographer and folklorist (b. 1903) *1989 - Alamgir Kabir, Bangladeshi film director (b. 1938) *1990 - Hayedeh, Persian singer (b. 1942) * 1990 - Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (b. 1907) *1993 - Audrey Hepburn, Anglo-Dutch actress (b. 1929) *1994 - Sir Matt Busby, Scottish football player and coach (b. 1909) *1996 - Gerry Mulligan, American musician (b. 1927) *1997 - Curt Flood, baseball player (b. 1938) *1998 - Bobo Brazil, American professional wrestler (b. 1924) *2003 - Al Hirschfeld, American caricaturist (b. 1903) * 2003 - Nedra Volz, American actress (b. 1908) * 2003 - Bill Werbeniuk, Canadian snooker player (b. 1947) *2004 - Guinn Smith, American athlete (b. 1920) *2005 - Per Borten, Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1913) * 2005 - Roland Frye, American literary critic and theologian (b. 1921) * 2005 - Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Polish journalist, writer, and politician (b. 1913) * 2005 - Miriam Louisa Rothschild, British zoologist, entomologist, and author (b. 1908) Holidays and observances * Presidential Inauguration Day in the United States, held every four years since 1937. * Astrology: First day of sun sign Aquarius. * Ati-Atihan Festival in the Philippines Religious feasts * Feast day of the following saints in the Roman Catholic Church: ** SebastianAttwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-140-51312-4. ** Saint Fabian ** Euthymius the Great ** Desiderius ** Meinrad * The Eve of St. Agnes. * January 20 * Abadios*Holweck, F. G. A Biographical Dictionary of the Saint. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co. 1924. References External links * BBC: On This Day * * On this day in Canada ---- Category:January